Short chapter but I hope you all still enjoy it. Feedback is very very very very very much appreciated by the way!

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Like the day before, the rain pattered against the windows as the Generation of Miracles, now joined by Takao and Himuro, filed into Kuroko's room.

Akashi settled into the chair beside the bed. Only the shaking of his hands as they cupped Kuroko's showed just how nervous he was. The rest of him was as unreadable as ever, his nerves well hidden behind his business mask, but Akashi with shaky hands spoke volumes alone. No other evidence was necessary.

The rest of the Generation of Miracles was unable to hide their nerves quite as well. Kise pulled Aomine straight to the couch and curled up against his side as close as possible to settle in for the long wait. Aomine wrapped his arm around the blond protectively and held his hand in a fierce grip. Their eyes however locked onto their blue and red haired friends.

Murasakibara had his usual bored expression, but his hold on his boyfriend and lack of food in his hands were obvious indicators that he was just as nervous as everyone else. He had also refused breakfast that morning. Only Himuro and Akashi, who had picked both of them up from the airport, knew about that though.

Midorima wasn't hiding anything either with the tenseness of his features and the way he held his lucky item, a Beethoven CD, in a death grip. He carefully placed a red scarf next to Kuroko's free hand since that was the lucky item for Aquarius that day. With that done, he proceeded to hand out everyone else's items as well. He gave Akashi a roll of grey sticky tape which was placed in the latter's pocket. He then handed Kise an orange pen and gave a manga book to Aomine. Both Takao and Himuro got a packet of instant ramen in their favorite flavors (Midorima texted Murasakibara to ask that morning) and Murasakibara was given a picture of a plateau for his lucky item.

Once everyone was settled in and holding onto their lucky items, Midorima gripped Takao's hand and Takao uncapped the needle and administered the drug. It would take about an hour to take effect, assuming it worked, but everyone seemed to hold their breath. For the next hour, only the pitter patter of the rain on the window, the steady beep of the heart monitor, and the intermittent hums of life support filled the tense room.

Suddenly a quiet alarm on Takao's phone sounded to alert him an hour had passed. Silencing it, he pulled the small flash light from his coat pocket and removed his hand from Midorima's to check Kuroko for any sign of change. He pulled back Kuroko's eye lids and moved the light but there was no response. He tried again and still nothing happened.

"I…..I don't think it worked…." He whispered shakily and stepped back. Every pair of desperate eyes bore into him. He wished he could offer them some sort of comfort, but he could only meet their gazes with his own and shake his head defeated. "I'm sorry."

"K…Kurokocchi….isn't g..going to wake up?" Kise asked as the tears welled up in his eyes.

"C…can we wait another hour? M…Maybe Tetsu just n…needs more time…."

"Yeah…M..maybe Kuro-chin is just slow…."

Midorima shook his head and stood. "It didn't work. It was a long shot to begin with."

"B..but Kurokocchi…"

"It didn't work!" Midorima shouted and glared at the blond while clenching his free fist. "It didn't work, Kise. Another hour, hell, another five won't change that!" He growled. He didn't mean to take his frustrations with his failure out on Kise, but he did.

Kise stared wide eyed for a moment before breaking down completely. After shooting Midorima a deadly glare for upsetting his lover, Aomine did his best to calm Kise down, but the fact he was crying too wasn't helping matters.

Midorima turned away and stared out the window to hide his own tears and Takao tried to comfort him as the sound of muffled sobs joined the sounds of rain on the window and hums and beeps of the machines that filled the room. No one looked to see how Akashi was taking the news and Akashi didn't say anything. He was devastated too of course, but he couldn't seem to cry or lash out. He just gripped Kuroko's hand tighter in a silent plea for the bluenette to wake up and closed his eyes.

After a while, everyone left and Akashi was alone with Kuroko. Tired of listening to the machines, he began to talk about high school again. It was the same story he had probably told a hundred times in the past few months; the one about how he asked Kuroko out. Technically, the story covered all four times he asked him out because Kuroko didn't agree the first time. Kuroko didn't even know he was being asked out the first time! Or the second time….but he figured it out the third time…except he thought Akashi was joking. All in all, it took four times for the bluenette to say yes. Looking back now, Akashi was glad it took four times. Instead of one great memory, he got four. The other three weren't great memories when they were formed, sure, but in hindsight, he wouldn't trade them for anything….except for Kuroko to come back to him. He would trade anything for that, be it his own life or the entire world.

But this was out of his control.

Morning turned to afternoon and afternoon turned to evening. Akashi kept retelling the same old stories till the clock struck eight. He swallowed and with one hand brushed Kuroko's hair aside to place his lips on the bluenettes pale forehead. A few tears fell from his eyes and dripped onto Kuroko's sleeping face. Akashi pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the drops on Kuroko's face then dabbed at the rest of his tears. Slowly he made his way to a standing position. He closed his eyes for brief second. When he reopened them, he rested his gaze on Kuroko's closed eyelids and his lips formed a tiny sad smile.

"I love you Tetsuya." He whispered and squeezed his lover's hand. Placing another kiss on Kuroko's cheek, he loosened the grip on his hand and began to untangle their interlocked fingers.

It was barely noticeable. It was so slight it could have easily been missed or mistaken as his tired mind playing tricks on him, but he knew he felt it. That slight squeeze. That slight curl of Kuroko's fingers and the lightest sense of pressure against the skin of his hand. Akashi pulled his head back to look at their hands and re-established his own grip on the Kuroko's thin hand giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Tetsuya." He whispered a bit louder than his previous words. He gave a gentle squeeze to Kuroko's hand and waited, hoping Kuroko would respond. Nothing happened.

He knew he had felt Kuroko squeeze his hand though. It wasn't his imagination. If his imagination wanted to play silly tricks on him, it had two whole months. Yet in two months, Kuroko hadn't moved. Even though his brain was functioning and other patients in similar circumstances exhibited twitches and other movements, Kuroko had always been still.

Akashi knew he should probably page Midorima or Takao, but he wanted to feel that movement again. He was desperate to feel that sign of life; that sign of hope. He tried calling out Kuroko's name again and squeezing his hand again but again, nothing happened.

He called out a third time, but instead of squeezing Kuroko's hand, he slowly began taking his hand away with deliberate motions. Like before, he felt the slightest squeeze.

Smiling, he lowered himself back into the seat beside the bed and gently returned the squeeze.

"It's okay Tetsuya. I won't leave if you don't want me to. I'm here."

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All the lucky items are in accordance with Oha Asa's horoscope for the day this was written (Feb 19th).

Comments appreciated.